TREASURE

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Twelve-strong South Korean boy band Treasure debuted in 2020. Hailing from the YG Entertainment stable (home of Big Bang and BlackPink, among others), they were chosen via the company’s televised talent contest Treasure Box. The group issued their chart-topping debut album, The First Step: Treasure Effect, in 2021, with the EP The Second Step: Chapter One arriving the following year.
The show started with 29 YG trainees, who were gradually eliminated until 13 remained. Some of them had been in the system for years, like leader Hyunsuk, who had also been in the almost-was group Silver Boys. Some had started even earlier: Junkyu had been a child model, Yedam had recorded jingles with his parents, and Junghwan was a former child actor who also held a fourth-dan black belt in taekwondo. The plan was originally for there to be two groups: the main group, then called Treasure 13, and a sub-unit called Magnum. But after one member, Yoonbin, quit the group to go solo, the sub-unit idea was ditched and the group name shortened to Treasure. Yedam became their first member to go solo, with his single “Wayo.”
The hype was immense. As YG’s first new band in four years, Treasure were guaranteed to be a surefire hit. Even prior to their debut, the group had amassed over 1.5 million social media followers and sold 170,000 pre-order copies of their debut single before fans had heard a note. With four Japanese members — Yoshi, Mashiho, Asahi, and Haruto — Treasure were tailor-made for crossover success into the all-important Japanese market. They were also very young, even for K-pop, with the eldest member 22 years old and the youngest just 15. “Boy,” their debut track, epitomized their slick electro-pop/R&B sound, and was included on their first “single album” (physical maxi-single), The First Step: Chapter One. Released in August 2020, it topped the Korean chart. Chapter Two and Three followed in quick succession, and the full-length album The First Step: Treasure Effect appeared in January 2021. They returned in 2022 with the EP The Second Step: Chapter One. ~ John D. Buchanan